A Study on the Selection Background and the Performance Historical Status of Chunhyangjeon Performed by Geukyesul yeonguhoe

Abstract

Geukyesul yeonguhoe (lit. theater art research society) performed Chunhyangjeon (The Story of Chunhyang ) on September 29-30, 1936. This performance was the 12th regular performance of the Geukyesul yeonguhoe, in which Hamlet was initially scheduled to perform as the 5th anniversary project. After experiencing the quitting of its members in June 1936, However, the Geukyesul yeonguhoe was in a crisis, and the performance of Hamlet was canceled. It did not give an official reason for the cancellation of the Hamlet performance, but the traces of suffering from the pressure to select a masterpiece to replace Hamlet were confirmed. As a result, it worked on performing Chunhyangjeon , which was unexpected at the time, and this performance made the position of the Geukyesul yeonguhoe as the leader in the modern theater field changed greatly. Through the performance of Chunhyangjeon, the Geukyesul yeonguhoe accepted the performance pattern that popular theater companies used as a commercial repertoire, and publicly announced their will not to reject this trend. The performance of Chunhyangjeon made the Geukyesul yeonguhoe officially acknowledge that they gained audiences and saw the possibility of profitable management but lost one of its distinguishing points from existing popular theater companies and ultimately began to focus on the operation of an audience-friendly theater company and the selection of works that were highly popular with the public. Therefore, Chunhyangjeon can be considered a representative play that illustrates the change and career change of the Geukyesul yeonguhoe in 1936.